“There is no honesty left anywhere. Ninety per cent of us are dishonest. Even those who should have provided moral direction in such misguided times—religious heads, spiritual leaders, swamijis, sanyasis, social workers, activists, intellectuals, the media—have themselves joined the flock.

“Fake swamijis have sprung up wearing the cloak of spirituality. Society has discovered a price for duplicity. Selfishness abounds. Making money has become the primary and only objective. A dark shadow has enveloped our lives. The honest have been reduced to meek, helpless spectators.

“Democracy should have bloomed in the lap of the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. But it is growing in the cockles of corruption, communalism and casteism. We have divided our people in the name of god, religion, caste, language. Instead of uniting, our parties and politicians are dividing the people.

“Immorality has become a way of life. Even if all the money of the World Bank is poured into our soil, it will not be enough. So complete is our departure from ethics, morals and values. Seventy-five per cent of us are status-quoists. How then can we restore what we have lost?

“For corrupt politicians and officials, for brokers and middlemen, the poor, the underprivileged, the marginalised of the country are like a goldmine. Their real achievement is in making the common people believe that corruption is not just normal but a good thing.”

6 comments

“Fake swamijis have sprung up wearing the cloak of spirituality. Society has discovered a price for duplicity. Selfishness abounds…..”

as if this swamiji is less than others out there!! awarding Basava award to Gaddar, the naxal poet is itself a shows what he is. I do agree that this swamiji has not made his sanyasa as a business as most others have done. But then this is no excuse for his pro-naxal, pro-communism behaviour.

A swamiji should be a swamiji. Away from leanings towards any particular ideology, especially those of anti-nationalistic.

Pragmatic might have ered in quoting. Just by participating in a few functions organized by DSS or disadvantaged groups doesn’t itself qualify to be a math woth m,odern outlook. There are so many considerations in accepting such invitations and speaking on behalf of them or for them. When educated person becomes a swamiji it is quite but natural for them to have such leanings and after sometime natural course will be taken by them , for no mutt is controlled by the swamiji, it will be controlled by many people. Let us wish best of luck to the swamiji’s who deviate from the regular path in changing society and bringing in reforms.

Surely the Swamiji has read things right. We do hear similar speeches by politicians and other prominent figures in public life. But there is no collective will in the society to change things. We are a nation of talkers where nobody puts his money where his mouth is.